Aya’s heart broke seeing her uncle this way. “There has to be something we can do. Maybe we can just continue selling the alcohol anyway. It’s not like the inspectors come through that often.”
“The wholesalers won’t sell to us without our license and the inventory we have now will only last roughly a month, maybe slightly longer if we’re frugal and water the drinks down. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. He’s behind it. There’s no point in tiptoeing around the matter.”
Aya balled her hands into fists, wishing she could hit something. “We can’t be certain,” she said more to convince herself than for any other reason. But deep down, she knew the truth. Dare O’Shaughnessy was out to not only exact his revenge for his treatment, he was out to destroy them.
“Don’t be so naïve, Aya. No one else who has that kind of money at their disposal to get through all the red tape of opening up a business in this town would want to. If you haven’t had a chance to look around, most of the residents in this area are barely making it. The only reasons we’ve been able to keep our doors open are because we’re the only bar for miles and the high rate of alcoholism in this neighborhood. If someone wanted to turn a pretty profit, this wouldn’t be the place to do it. You know that man is behind it.”
Everything he said made sense. At the first glance, she didn’t think O’Shaughnessy was the type of man to go so far to prove a point but apparently he was. Not only did it seem like he was out to close them down, but he wanted to completely destroy them in the process. At her uncle’s age, it wasn’t likely he’d find work, at least nothing that paid a living wage. As for Aya, her only work experience was this bar. She wasn’t educated beyond what was provided by the government for free which didn’t amount to much beyond learning how to read, write, and basic math. Even though she’d learned beyond what most people did in her socio-economic background, it still didn’t equal the fancy education the Elites were able to provide their children. Aya owed her advanced knowledge to her uncle, who had managed to get a hold of old books from an abandoned library.
As a woman, her choices were limited. Without a degree in a secondary school, the best she could do was get a job in a bar or restaurant, neither job would pay enough for two people to get by on. The other alternative made her shudder.
Besides regular living expenses, she had her uncle’s health to consider. Without the steady income the bar would bring, he would no longer be able to afford the insurance policy that covered his heart medication. She feared with the stress he was currently under, he couldn’t afford to go without it.
“We’ll think of something. If we have to close down, I’ll take another job, two, or three if I have to.”
Uncle Arthur raised his head and shook it vehemently. “I got us into this mess. I’ll get us out of it.”
Aya reached across the table and gripped her uncle’s hand. “You’re not to blame. You couldn’t have known that obnoxious man would go this far.”
He released a heavy sigh. “I knew what that man was about the minute he laid eyes on you. The way he looked at you…his type always thinks they can have whatever they want and I couldn’t let it happen. Not this time.”
Aya sensed there was something more her uncle wasn’t telling her so she pressed him to continue. “What do you mean by, ‘this time’?”
He looked in her direction but didn’t quite meet her eyes as if he were embarrassed. She couldn’t figure out why. He was usually very direct whenever he spoke to her. “I failed your mother and I couldn’t do the same with you.”
“I still don’t follow.”
He fidgeted in his chair. “I was hoping I never had to tell you this story but I should have known this would come back to haunt me. I thought if I did right by you, then that would make things right but…I’ve
“The wholesalers won’t sell to us without our license and the inventory we have now will only last roughly a month, maybe slightly longer if we’re frugal and water the drinks down. Let’s stop kidding ourselves. He’s behind it. There’s no point in tiptoeing around the matter.”
Aya balled her hands into fists, wishing she could hit something. “We can’t be certain,” she said more to convince herself than for any other reason. But deep down, she knew the truth. Dare O’Shaughnessy was out to not only exact his revenge for his treatment, he was out to destroy them.
“Don’t be so naïve, Aya. No one else who has that kind of money at their disposal to get through all the red tape of opening up a business in this town would want to. If you haven’t had a chance to look around, most of the residents in this area are barely making it. The only reasons we’ve been able to keep our doors open are because we’re the only bar for miles and the high rate of alcoholism in this neighborhood. If someone wanted to turn a pretty profit, this wouldn’t be the place to do it. You know that man is behind it.”
Everything he said made sense. At the first glance, she didn’t think O’Shaughnessy was the type of man to go so far to prove a point but apparently he was. Not only did it seem like he was out to close them down, but he wanted to completely destroy them in the process. At her uncle’s age, it wasn’t likely he’d find work, at least nothing that paid a living wage. As for Aya, her only work experience was this bar. She wasn’t educated beyond what was provided by the government for free which didn’t amount to much beyond learning how to read, write, and basic math. Even though she’d learned beyond what most people did in her socio-economic background, it still didn’t equal the fancy education the Elites were able to provide their children. Aya owed her advanced knowledge to her uncle, who had managed to get a hold of old books from an abandoned library.
As a woman, her choices were limited. Without a degree in a secondary school, the best she could do was get a job in a bar or restaurant, neither job would pay enough for two people to get by on. The other alternative made her shudder.
Besides regular living expenses, she had her uncle’s health to consider. Without the steady income the bar would bring, he would no longer be able to afford the insurance policy that covered his heart medication. She feared with the stress he was currently under, he couldn’t afford to go without it.
“We’ll think of something. If we have to close down, I’ll take another job, two, or three if I have to.”
Uncle Arthur raised his head and shook it vehemently. “I got us into this mess. I’ll get us out of it.”
Aya reached across the table and gripped her uncle’s hand. “You’re not to blame. You couldn’t have known that obnoxious man would go this far.”
He released a heavy sigh. “I knew what that man was about the minute he laid eyes on you. The way he looked at you…his type always thinks they can have whatever they want and I couldn’t let it happen. Not this time.”
Aya sensed there was something more her uncle wasn’t telling her so she pressed him to continue. “What do you mean by, ‘this time’?”
He looked in her direction but didn’t quite meet her eyes as if he were embarrassed. She couldn’t figure out why. He was usually very direct whenever he spoke to her. “I failed your mother and I couldn’t do the same with you.”
“I still don’t follow.”
He fidgeted in his chair. “I was hoping I never had to tell you this story but I should have known this would come back to haunt me. I thought if I did right by you, then that would make things right but…I’ve
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